The co-owner of Peju Winery opens up about keeping her family’s business fresh while preserving its history.
If you’ve seen The Parent Trap, you can picture how Lisa Peju grew up. Lisa recalls running through the family vineyards, riding horses, and caring for a rotating cast of farm animals in Napa Valley. She and her sister Ariana even earned $1 per row suckering, or removing the vine shoots, from grape crops. (They eventually bargained their way to $5 a row.) It’s a lifestyle Lisa now calls “fancy farming” as the co-owner of her family’s winery, Peju Winery.
In the early ‘80s, Lisa’s parents, immigrants, moved from Los Angeles to Napa to start a farm. When they arrived, her late-father Tony quickly caught the wine-making “bug.” Her parents sold all they had to buy the 30-acre farm and, in 1983, officially started the winery. “They just said, ‘We're just going to wing it and see what happens,’” Lisa recalls.
The Pejus’ gamble paid off: More than 30 years later, their wines have received rave reviews in publications such as the San Francisco Chronicle, Forbes, and Food & Wine, among others. Their success didn’t come easily, though. When Lisa was in her early 20s, drinking wine wasn’t a “thing” in America — particularly among young people, she says. Together, she and Ariana, also a co-owner of the family business, set out to change that.
“My friends didn’t drink wine,” says Lisa. “And you know why? Because they didn’t know where to start.” One way to spread the message of wine — and, specifically, Peju wines — was to travel. “I started our wholesale programs,” she says. “At that time, we didn't sell any wine outside of the winery. So I just started going on these trips and meeting people and asking questions. I started learning on the fly.”
Lisa’s work proved instrumental in expanding the business into new markets. And, in the meantime, she had the opportunity to globe-trot to her heart’s desire. “I got to see the world through the eyes of the winery, and I think it was a much better way to see the world,” she says. “I got to eat great food and drink great wine.”
Nowadays, Lisa is focused on introducing the next generation to the joys of her favorite alcoholic beverage. She has plans to renovate the winery while still preserving its traditional vineyard charm. And she’s always in search of fresh ways to raise awareness — and excitement — about a beverage that has stood the test of time for thousands of years.
She and Ariana are also working to keep the family business nimble in the face of climate change. Sarah Fowler, the company’s vice president and a long-time winemaker, converted the business to organic farming back in 2006. Ariana spearheaded the effort to add 720 solar panels on the 10,000-square-foot winery’s roof, a project that now provides 35 percent of the winery’s energy. Lisa adds that the two have been brainstorming ways for the vineyard to use less water, a resource that’s hard to come by in California.
All of these shifts will allow the Peju family to continue doing what they love: Drinking and sharing wine. Lisa herself favors the brand’s Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. “Sarah and I call the Sauvignon Blanc the house water — and we drink it like water,” she says with a laugh. "I'm also a huge fan of our Cabernet Franc. It is my go-to. It's the wine I can take anywhere.”
Lisa offers a simple, effective approach for picking the appropriate glass or bottle if you find yourself staring down at a comprehensive menu of reds and whites. “Start by asking yourself if you want to drink a white or red,” she says. “Once you’ve decided, great. Now, where do you want to drink from? California? France? Or do you want to try something you’ve never tried before?” Make your choice and the next time you’re out, sip on a vino from the same region, she suggests.
Notice similarities and differences between different varieties; slowly, over time, you may start to fancy yourself an amateur sommelier. “I'm a big believer that we all eat and drink too quickly,” says Lisa. “We don't experience what we're putting into our bodies — we forget. I like to stop and notice: What are all the flavors in that salad? What am I eating? The more you start to do that, the more you start noticing in your life.” And, of course, the better the wine will taste.
Images courtesy of Lisa Peju